Fundamental Rights Forum

News

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How can the Fundamental Rights Forum help protect human rights?

Human rights are constantly under threat. Support is eroding. Violations are common.

This calls for radical innovative strategies to push back against these threats and restore hope for a brighter future. This is where the Forum can step in.

It will bring together leading European and global agents for change from diverse walks of life, including high-level representatives of all major international and regional human rights organisations. Many hail from areas not normally found in traditional human rights events such as the world of arts, sports and business. This will bring a unique new dynamic to the event.

It will help forge new networks and new coalitions all sharing a common goal: to uphold and improve human rights protection.

Over three days, the Forum will be a melting pot of ideas. Participants will share their stories, discuss new perspectives on pressing human rights issues and suggest strategies to deal with them. They will not shy away from difficult discussions.

Diverse sessions will challenge policies and practices on issues ranging from the situation of people of African descent in the EU, child poverty, refugee inclusion and artificial intelligence.

The aim is to influence the hearts and minds of policymakers and the general public. To have a dialogue about human rights beyond the Forum itself. Attendees will help define new, constructive ways forward for human rights, feeding directly into initiatives, laws and policies at the European and national level. Communicating the results of the Forum is at the heart of the event. People need to feel safe, secure and share a sense of belonging within a wider community. Protecting and promoting fundamental rights can make this a reality for everyone.

Human Rights are for everyone: from the general public to the most marginalised in society. The Forum aims to provide answers to some of these questions:

How do we ensure everyone has full access to and understanding of their human rights?

How do we make sure rights have meaning, whether for getting a job, education or escaping poverty?

How can we connect international organisations and governments with those offering frontline support?

How can schools prepare the tolerant, respectful citizens of tomorrow?

Programme

The full list of sessions at the forum can be seen in the Programme page.

Highlighting the Agency’s important role in reminding the EU and its Member States to uphold their commitment to fundamental rights, the Austrian President, Alexander Van der Bellen, is the High Patron of FRA’s Fundamental Rights Forum.

Live feed

Speakers

Michael O'Flaherty

Michael O’Flaherty is FRA’s current Director. Previously, he was Professor of Human Rights Law and Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He has also been the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.

Emily O'Reilly

Emily O’Reilly was first elected as the European Ombudsman in July 2013. Following the European Parliament elections, she was re-elected for a five year mandate in December 2014. As European Ombudsman she investigates maladministration in the institutions and bodies of the European Union.

Věra Jourová

Věra Jourová is currently European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality. In 2014, before coming to the European Commission, she was Minister for Regional Development in the Czech Republic.

Ali Can

Aya Mohammed Abdullah

Ivan Krastev

Ivan Krastev is a founding board member of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the Board of Trustees of The International Crisis Group and is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. For 2018 to 2019, he has been appointed as the Henry A.

Christos Giakoumopoulos

Christos Giakoumopoulos was appointed as the Council of Europe’s Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law on 1 August 2017. He was previously Director of Human Rights from 2011 – 2017 and also Director of Monitoring between 2006 - 2011.

Venue

The venue can be reached by the metro line U1 to the station 'Kagran' then via tram 25 to 'Erzherzog Karl Strasse' or by the metro line U2 to the station 'Hardeggasse' and then via tram 25 to 'Erzherzog Karl Strasse'.
METAstadt can also be reached by train via the S80 from the 'Hauptbahnhof' (25 minutes) or 'Simmering Ostbahn' stations (17 minutes).

The meeting is accessible to people with disabilities. In case you need further assistance, please get in touch with the organisers. We will do our best to cater for your individual needs.